virtue independence Sodiq A. Kuntoro, 2006:138. This becomes a foundation of Muhammadiyah’s struggle in education.
Unlike K.H. Ahmad Dahlan, who absorbed a lot of Islamic modern values to develop human civilization, Ki Hadjar Dewantara was influenced more by new perspectives of education in the West
and elaborated his educational theories using the nation’s cultural values especially Javanese culture. From the educational theory perspective, he was influenced by Montessori’s theory of
education, emphasizing respect for children’s independent spirit, freedom in learning, and attention
to children’s interests and needs Sodiq A. Kuntoro, 2006:141. Teachers’ main duty is not giving knowledge to children but guiding them to learn in accordance with their developmental interests and
needs. Violence, punishment, and force are not used to educate children in order that they can develop their independent spirit.
Muhammadiyah education that develops Islamic values and general knowledge manifested in K.H. Ahmad Dahlan’s concept of education and education based on the national culture that Ki
Hadjar Dewantara developed have goals parallel to those of the national education. In general, Islamic education has a primary mission of humanizing human beings, namely making them capable
of developing all their potentials to function maximally in accordance with the rules stated in Al Qur’an and Hadith so that finally they will become whole human beings Marzuki, 2011:467.
Meanwhile, culture-based education that Ki Hadjar Dewantara developed aims to educate children so that they can feel, think, and work independently in the scope of attaining harmony and peace in life
togetherness Abdurrachman Surjomihardjo, 1986:88. The combination of these two principles results in a concept of character education parallel to the goal of the national education, namely
making whole Indonesian people who have not only intelligence but also good conduct as well as love and pride of the nation and country.
B. CHARACTER EDUCATION IN K.H. AHMAD DAHLAN’S CONCEPT OF
EDUCATION
K.H. Ahmad Dahlan combined scientific knowledge and religion to improve the poor life condition that people experienced during the colonial era. A strategy to face social changes due to
modernization, according to K.H. Ahmad Dahlan, can be made by referring to Al Qur’an by
eradicating fatalistic attitudes and blind obedience. Such a strategy according to Abdul Munir Mulkhan 1990:9 can be made by awakening the ijtihad thinking spirit and motivation through the
improvement of logical and rational thinking capability and by studying social realities. Therefore, the object of the preaching movement by Muhammadiyah that K.H. Ahmad Dahlan established is
developing innovative spirit and motivation in all social strata, from the laypeople, the poor, the rich, to the intellectual.
The process of character education that K.H. Ahmad Dahlan applied to his students was gradually carried out with certainty. The courage to act or to do good deeds was something more
important than merely reading and memorizing as many Al Qur’an verses as possible. Memorizing
many Al Qur’an verses without understanding and implementing the contents was not beneficial enough according to him. Therefore, the method that he applied in teaching his students was not only
re ading and memorizing Al Qur’an verses, but also understanding the meanings and implementing
them or doing good deeds in daily life. The foundation of K.H. Ahmad Dahlan’s good conduct education is Islamic teachings
consisting of three pillars as mentioned before, namely religious faith, scientific knowledge, and good deeds; these become the basis for all educational attempts that he made. Religious faith belief
in the heart becomes the primary pillar, followed by scientific knowledge to support the belief that one has. After possessing religious faith and belief, one will be willingly do good deeds in
accordance with the religious rules. These are parallel to the character education theory by Lickona 1991:51, who states that character has three interrelated aspects, namely moral knowing, moral
feeling, and moral behavior. It begins with knowing all good things, followed by willingness in the heart to do all good things, and finally followed by doing all good things. These three aspects,
according to Lickona, are constructed of the habits of thoughts, feelings, and actions; to attain them, it is necessary to have knowledge to judge what is right, concern about what is right, and action to do
what is right.
C. CHARACTER EDUCATION IN KI HADJAR DEWANTARA’S CONCEPT OF
